Editing Electrum (section)

==Composition==
Electrum consists primarily of gold and silver but is sometimes found with traces of platinum, copper and other metals. The name is mostly applied informally to compositions between 20–80% gold and 80–20% silver, but these are strictly called gold or silver depending on the dominant element. Analysis of the composition of electrum in ancient Greek coinage dating from about 600 BC shows that the gold content was about 55.5% in the coinage issued by [[Phocaea]]. In the early [[Classical Greece|classical period]] the gold content of electrum ranged from 46% in [[Phocaea|Phokaia]] to 43% in [[Mytilene]]. In later coinage from these areas, dating to 326 BC, the gold content averaged 40% to 41%. In the [[Hellenistic period]] electrum coins with a regularly decreasing proportion of gold were issued by the [[Carthaginians]]. In the later [[Eastern Roman Empire]] controlled from [[Constantinople]], the purity of the gold coinage was reduced.{{how much?|date=March 2024}}{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}